This invention relates to a boxing system for putting articles, e.g. packs of food, such as potato chips, beans, pieces of candy and the likes, in boxes or cases, such as corrugated cardboard cases. This invention also relates to a conveyor apparatus useable with the boxing system.
An example of prior art boxing system is shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. HEI 9-77003 published on Mar. 25, 1997. This prior art boxing system is used to put packs 1 shown, for example, in FIG. 25(a) or boxes (not shown) in a case 2 shown, for example, in FIG. 25(c).
Referring to FIG. 25(a), packs 1 conveyed on an input conveyor 4 are put into spaces 6 formed between a plurality of adjacent ones of a plurality of fins 5 planted on the conveying surface of an alignment conveyor 3. One pack is put into one space 6. Thus, packs 1 are aligned on the conveying surface of the alignment conveyor 3, standing erect.
When a predetermined number, five in the illustrated example, of packs 1 are aligned on the conveyor 3, a pusher plate 11 pushes five packs on the conveyor 3 to move on a U-shaped intermediate member 10 onto a predetermined position on gates 7-1 and 7-2 as shown in FIG. 25(b). The pusher plate 11 has slits 12 therein to avoid interference with the fins 5 when it pushes five packs on the alignment conveyor 3. In the illustrated example, two sets of five packs 1 have been pushed onto the gates 7-1 and 7-2.
As shown in FIGS. 25(c) and 25(d), after pushing five packs 1 onto the predetermined position on the closed gates 7-1 and 7-2, the pusher plate 11 moves upward and returns to its original standby position (FIG. 25(a)) along a path above the alignment conveyor 3 in order to avoid interference with succeeding packs 1 being conveyed and aligned on the conveyor 3.
Then, as shown in FIG. 25(b), the packs 1 standing erect on the gates 7-1 and 7-2 are held by a pair of holding plates 9-1 and 9-2.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 25(c), the gates 7-1 and 7-2 are opened, and the cardboard case 2 is moved upward from below the gates 7-1 and 7-2 so that the ten packs 1 held between the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 are put into the cardboard case 2. The cardboard case 2 has been conveyed on a roller conveyor (not shown) to a predetermined position below the gates 7-1 and 7-2. The cardboard case 2 has four flaps 2a-2d. 
Next, a stuffing plate 13 disposed above the gates 7-1 and 7-2 is lowered, and, at the same time, the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 are moved in the direction away from each other. In this manner, packs 1 are placed in the cardboard case 2, as shown in FIG. 25(c).
Then, the cardboard case 2 with packs 1 put therein is lowered, and the gates 7-1 and 7-2 are closed, so that the boxing system returns to the state shown in FIG. 25(a) to thereby complete one cycle of operation. This operation is repeated.
In the above-described prior art boxing system, the alignment conveyor 3 must be stopped at the pushing position shown in FIG. 25(a) when the pusher plate 11 pushes five packs 1 on the alignment conveyor 3 onto the intermediate member 10. It disadvantageously prevents packs 1 conveyed by the input conveyor 4 from being continuously supplied onto the alignment conveyor 3. Another problem is as follows. When one set of five packs 1 is pushed off the alignment conveyor 3, a next set of five packs 1 may have been already available. However, such new set cannot be brought to the pushing position at a high speed, since the alignment conveyor 3 should move at a speed low enough to receive packs 1 supplied by the input conveyor 4 without fail. These problems impede the improvement of the boxing efficiency of prior art systems.
For conveying and boxing thick packs in a case, the spacing between adjacent fins 5 should be increased. The fins 5 are screwed to the conveying surface of the conveyor 3. In order to widen the spaces 6, the fins 5 must be unscrewed, which requires time and labor.
As shown in FIG. 25(a), the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 are arranged to advance by a predetermined stroke to press against a given number of packs 1 between them. Accordingly, if each of the five aligned packs 1 to be held is relatively thick, there is a danger that the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 may crush items contained in the packs 1. On the other hand, if the sum thickness of the five packs 1 is relatively small, they may slip off from between the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2. Accordingly, a predetermined number of packs 1 may not be boxed neatly. Thus, it is not always possible for the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 of the prior art system to hold different sized packs with force appropriate for such packs.
Further, since the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 hold packs 1 by applying holding forces along the line on which packs 1 are aligned in a row, all or some of aligned packs 1 may slip out from the row in the lateral direction. Such packs 1 may be caught by the upper edge of a side-wall of the case 2, and, therefore, sometimes, proper boxing of packs 1 cannot be done.
Sometimes, a large number of packs 1 may be in so long a row, being held between the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2, that one or more of packs 1 may slip off.
If the force given by the holding plates 9-1 and 9-2 to the row of packs 1 is increased to prevent such slip-off of packs, the packs may be sometimes damaged. Accordingly, there is some limit on the holding force applied by the plates 9-1 and 9-2.
In prior art systems, in order for packs 1 to be put into a case easily, the case should have a relatively large opening, which means that large-sized cases 2 are required. This necessitates a relatively large space for storing the packed cases 2.
An object of the present invention is to provide a boxing system in which a desired number of packs can be put into cases at a high rate without fail.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor apparatus which can be used in the boxing system and which includes a plurality of easily detachable fins, between adjacent ones of which packs conveyed to be put into a case are disposed and supported.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such fins between adjacent ones of which packs can be supported, standing erect without bend, so that the packs can be put into cases, being erected.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a conveyor apparatus is provided, which includes a group of first partitioning means mounted on first conveying means with spaces provided along a conveying direction between adjacent ones of the first partitioning means. Each of the spaces is sufficiently large to hold an article in it. The first partitioning means are adapted to pass through an article loading position where articles are put into respective ones of the spaces and an article unloading position where the articles held in the spaces are unloaded. The conveyor apparatus further includes a group of second partitioning means mounted on second conveying means with spaces provided along the conveying direction between adjacent ones of the second partitioning means. Each of the spaces is also sufficiently large to hold an article in it. The second partitioning means are also adapted to pass through the article loading position and the article unloading position. There are further provided driving means for driving the first and second conveying means independent from each other, and control means for causing the group of first or second partitioning means after being loaded or unloaded, to travel to the unloading or loading position at a speed higher than the speed at which the partitioning means pass through the loading position.
The control means cause either one of the groups of first and second partitioning means to pass through the loading position at a predetermined article receiving speed, while causing the other group to be placed in the unloading position.
The conveyor apparatus may be arranged so that while one of the groups of first and second partitioning means is being loaded in the loading position, the other group, after being unloaded, stands by for the loading at a position before the loading position. Alternatively, it may be so arranged that while one of the groups is being loaded in the loading position, the other group, after being loaded with articles, stands by for the unloading at a position before the unloading position.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a conveyor apparatus includes conveying means, and a plurality of partitioning means mounted to the conveying means. Each of the partitioning means is detachably mounted to the conveying means by means of partitioning means mounting means, and is spaced from adjacent ones along a conveying direction to provide spaces therebetween sufficient to hold articles therein. Each of the partitioning means mounting means includes a through-hole formed in either of the conveying means and the partitioning means. The through-hole has wider and narrower openings communicating with each other. Each of the partitioning means further includes a partitioning means retainer mounted by an elongated member to the other of the conveying means and the partitioning means. The retainer is adapted to be inserted into the wider opening of the through-hole and, then, moved into the narrower opening to contact the periphery of the narrower opening. A spring is adapted to press the retainer in the narrower opening against the periphery of the narrower opening. The partitioning means further includes a detent for preventing the retainer pressed against the periphery of the narrower opening from moving into the wider opening.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a boxing system for putting articles into a box is provided. The boxing system includes an article holding arrangement including holding members for holding a predetermined number of aligned articles to be put in a box. The holding arrangement includes a driving unit for moving the holding members toward and away from each other along a direction in which the articles are aligned. A force detecting unit detects forces with which the holding members press the aligned articles when the holding members are driven toward each other. The holding arrangement further includes means for stopping the driving unit from driving the holding members when the forces applied to the holding members as detected by the force detecting unit is greater than a predetermined value.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a boxing system for putting articles into a box is provided. The boxing system includes front and rear holding members for holding a predetermined number of aligned articles to b put in a box, by applying force to the aligned articles in the direction of alignment. The system further includes side holding members for holding the aligned articles held by the front and rear holding members, by applying force to the aligned articles in the direction perpendicular to the direction of alignment.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a boxing system for putting articles into a box is provided, which include holding members for holding a predetermined number of aligned articles, and a funnel-shaped guide into which the aligned articles held by the holding members are forced to thereby put the aligned articles into a box disposed at an outlet port of the funnel-shaped guide. The outlet port of the funnel-shaped guide includes guide plates which can be pushed outward by the articles passing therethrough and return to the original position when the articles have passed, and biasing means for biasing the guide plates to the original positions.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention a conveyor apparatus includes conveying means travelling in a loop including upper and lower paths with turning paths between the upper and lower paths, and a plurality of partitioning means mounted to the conveying means. Each of the partitioning means is detachably mounted to the conveying means by means of partitioning means mounting means, and is spaced along a conveying direction from adjacent ones to provide spaces therebetween sufficient to hold articles therein. Successive ones of the spaces are adapted to be loaded with articles when the partitioning means pass through a predetermined loading position in the turning path from the lower path to the upper path. Driving means drives the conveying means. Each of the partitioning means includes a partition standing erect and extending in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a base connected to the partition. Each of the partitioning means mounting means includes a mounting device secured to the base of the partitioning means, and an engaged device adapted to be engaged by an associated mounting device. The engaged devices are secured to the conveying means along the conveying direction with a fixed pitch.
The engaged devices are arranged such that plural types of partitioning means with different distances between the mounting devices and the partitions can be mounted to the conveying means. The conveyor apparatus further includes control means for changing the amount by which the partitioning means are advanced to receive articles in the loading position, in accordance with the distance between the mounting devices of adjacent ones of the partitioning means.
The number of different types of partitioning means may be two.
Each of the partitioning means mounting means may include a through-hole formed in either of the conveying means and the partitioning means, which has wider and narrower openings communicating with each other, a partitioning means retainer mounted by an elongated member to the other of the conveying means and the partitioning means, which retainer is adapted to be inserted into the wider opening of the through-hole and, then, moved into the narrower opening to contact the periphery of the narrower opening. Each of the partitioning means mounting means further includes a spring adapted to press retainer in the narrower opening against the periphery of the narrower opening, and a detent for preventing the retainer pressed against the periphery of the narrower opening from moving into the wider opening.